Heel-protector.



G. BECHERER.

HEEL PROTECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED rIIM'zo, w18.

1,297,484. Patented Mar. 18,3919.

HEEL-encantaron.

Specification of Letters Patent.

'iPatentcd Mar., 18, 191%.

Application led May 20, 1918. Serial No. 235,649.

To all wwm t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE BnCHnnnn, a citizen of the United States, andresident of St. Louis and State of Missouri. have invented certain newand useful lmprovements in Heel-Protectors, of which the following is aspecification,` containing a full, clear, and exact description,reference being had to accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

, My invention relates to improvements in heel protectors, and has forits object, the construction of a heel protector by stamping the sameout of a piece of metal and removing from the metal, prongs or fastenersprovided on their front edges with shoulders or'barbs to prevent theprotector from pulling loose from use.

Another special object of my improvement is forming on the rear edge ofthe protector a sharpened flange,v which when the protector is appliedto the heel, will become embedded in the heel material, which willprevent dirt, etc., from working under the protector, and whichsharpened flange gives increased wearing surface to the protector andalso relieves the strain on the fasteningprongs and nails, by means ofwhich the protector is secured to the heel.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view of my protector illustrating the same stamped from asheet of metal and with the fastening prongs eut but not formed.

Fig. 2 is an edge view of my improved protector illustrating thefastening prongs bent into proper position.

Fig.' 3 is a bottom plan view tector.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of a shoe heel,v showing my protectorapplied to the same, and also being a transverse section of theprotector.

Referring to the drawings, '7 indicates the body of the protector, whichis stamped out of a single piece of metal, being` in plansemi-elliptical as ilustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. In the rear of theprotector I form by stamping, a series of projections or studs 8, whichtend to prevent slipping when my protector is in use, and also gives theprotector body increased wearing service, as

of the protaken on 'well as to give rigidity to the body portion 7 alongits exterior niargin. lornxcd along the exterior margin and on theunderneath surface of the protector is a sharpened flange 9. rlhisflange is rormed by means of punching dies, and possesses several.functions. lt acts as a strengthening rib or flange to the body 7 of theprotector, and when driven into the heel. it prevents dirt or otherforeign substances from working under the protector from the rear, andit also prevents the 'protector from slippingr alongthe heel, andconsequently relieves the strain on the fastening prongs and nails. Italso gives increased wearing' thickness to the body of the protector.

Centrally of the body 7 of the protector I also form or strike from themetal out of which the protector is formed, a fastcning/prong 10, and infront of said fastening .p3/'ong 10 l form nail holes 11.

Along the front margin of the protector I stamp or cut from the body 7of the protector, prongs 12. These prongs l2 are located adjacent theends of protector and near the front margin thereof. These prongs. it`will be observed, are of peculiar formation. being` provided with asharpened sheared point 1?. and a straight rear edge 14, and provided ontheir front edges with horizontal inclined shoulders 15` and above theshoulders 15 with inclined faces 1G. These prongs 1Q are not parallel,but are arranged at a slight angle to each other and u to the transverseaxis of the protector, so as to throw the shoulders 15 outwardly andmore nearly underneath the forward portions 17 of the protector than ifthey were arranged parallel.

The protector is applied to a shoe heel by driving` on the body portionof the protector 7 until the prongs l() and 1Q and liange (.l are fullyseated in the material of the heel. Vhen thc protector is in use, therear curved margin of thc protector will be subjected to the greatestuse. ln walking, this portion of the heel protector generally comes incontact. with the surface walked upon first, and this portion of theprotector will receive the. greatest jarring action, which tends to tiltthe forward portion of the protector, and loosen it, from the heel. lnorder to ovecome and prevent this, l have formed. as previouslymentioned. on the prongs 12, the horizontal shoulders 15, whichconstitute barbs and act in opposition to the force incidentI to walkingapplied to the rear curved portion of the protector.

It will be seen that the prongs 12 are disposed in advance of theforward edge of the protector plate and that the shoulders 15 eX-tendfrom the forward edges of the prongs.

The advantage of this arrangement is that the barbed prongs resist thetendency to tilt the plate incident to the rear edge being first tocontact with the ground in the act of walking and this location givesthe longest possible leverage to resist this tilting tendency.

I have found out by experiment that these horizontal shoulders 15 on theprongs, under all the conditions of walking, will rmlyjhold thcprotector in place on the heel. By driving these prongs into the heel,owing to their peculiar formation, the heel material in front of theshoulders 15 and nclined faces 16 is displaced until the prongs arefully seated, and the displaced material 'will tend to resume itsoriginal position, and

spring back 'above the shoulders 15.

During the operation of driving, the straight edges 14 of the prongs arefirmly backed up by the material in the rear of said faces. To make theaction of these prongs clear, the material in the rear of straight edges1% is not displaced, that is, forced rearwardly of said faces; Whereasthe inclined faces of the front edges of the prongs will displace thematerial until the prongs are fully driven, and then the displacedmaterial will spring backwardly as it were, thus firmly holding theprongs by the agency of the horizontal shoulders 15.

I found these shapes of prongs, providedv with the horizontal shoulders15, very serviceable in holding the protector to a heel of softmaterial, such as rubber etc.

Having fully what I claim is A heel protector comprising `a drivingbodyportion and Wearing plate semi-elliptical in form, va pair of prongsformed integrally with the plate and, locatedat the forward marginthereof, each of the prongs being provided with a driving point, astraight rear edge, a shoulder on its front edge above the drivingpoint, and an upwardly and forwardly inclined edge above the shoulder,the said shoulder serving to oppose the force applied to the rear edgeofthe protector plate, and a thirdprong integrally formed with the plateand within the margin thereof, and in rear o'f and between the aforesaidpair of prongs. .y

In testimony whereof I have signedmy name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.. y

described my invention,`

GEORGE BECHERER.

Witnesses:

ELIZABETH SCHLITT, VALTER C. STEIN.

